Head of People

Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa Ltd; Bristol; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa Ltd in Bristol is seeking an experienced Head of HR & People to lead and develop its people function during an exciting period of growth.

Reporting directly to the CEO and working with the SLT, you will own the HR function, combining strategic leadership with hands-on operational excellence to drive engagement, capability development and a best-in-class employee experience.

Qualifications

• You will be an experienced HR leader with a strong generalist background and experience operating within a growing, entrepreneurial or founder-led environment.
• You will ideally demonstrate: Significant experience in a senior HR leadership role, such as Head of HR, Head of People, Senior HR Manager or Senior HR Business Partner.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations matters.
• Experience developing learning, development and career progression frameworks.
• A successful track record of improving employee engagement and performance management processes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders.
• Experience coaching managers and developing people leadership capability.
• A commercially minded yet people-centric approach.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and organisational skills.
• The ability to balance structure and governance with agility and pace.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HR and People function across multiple business areas.
• Provide expert guidance and support to leaders, managers and employees on all HR matters.
• Manage complex employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, performance management, capability and absence issues.
• Ensure policies, procedures and practices remain compliant with UK employment legislation and best practice.
• Continuously review and improve HR systems, processes and employee policies.
• Analyse people metrics to identify trends and drive informed decision-making.
• Foster a culture of fairness, consistency and accountability.
• Lead recruitment and onboarding activities across the organisation.
• Partner with managers to support workforce planning and hiring strategies.
• Enhance employer branding and candidate experience initiatives.
• Oversee key employee lifecycle activities, including probation reviews, promotions, salary changes, family leave and offboarding.
• Develop succession planning approaches to support future business needs.
• Implement employee feedback and retention initiatives to strengthen engagement.
• Develop and deliver learning and development strategies aligned to business objectives.
• Create structured career pathways and progression frameworks.
• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted development programmes.
• Support leadership and management development initiatives.
• Coach managers to facilitate effective performance and development conversations.
• Build internal talent pipelines and support leadership succession planning.
• Lead the design and implementation of performance management frameworks.
• Drive employee engagement, wellbeing and recognition programmes.
• Create opportunities for employee feedback and continuous improvement.
• Support managers in managing performance effectively and consistently.
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Partner with senior leadership to develop and implement the people strategy.
• Support organisational design, workforce planning and business transformation initiatives.
• Ensure organisational values and culture remain embedded throughout continued growth.
• Use people insights and workforce data to shape strategic decisions.
• Lead the people aspects of change management and organisational development.

Job description

£70,000 to £75,000 per year, + benefits + discretionary bonus

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

Full time

Disability Confident:

No

Closing Date:

14/10/2026

About this job

Your New Company A fast-growing and people-focused consumer brand is seeking an experienced Head of HR & People to lead and develop its people function during an exciting period of growth.

The organisation has built a strong culture centred around collaboration, development and employee engagement.

Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the SLT, this role offers the opportunity to shape the people's agenda and influence strategic business decisions while ensuring an exceptional employee experience.

Your New Role As Head of HR & People, you will take ownership of the HR function, combining strategic leadership with a hands‑on approach to operational excellence.

You will oversee the full employee life cycle while supporting organisational growth, capability development and employee engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• HR Leadership & Employee Relations – Lead the HR and People function across multiple business areas.
• Provide expert guidance and support to leaders, managers and employees on all HR matters.
• Manage complex employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, performance management, capability and absence issues.
• Ensure policies, procedures and practices remain compliant with UK employment legislation and best practice.
• Continuously review and improve HR systems, processes and employee policies.
• Analyse people metrics to identify trends and drive informed decision‑making.
• Foster a culture of fairness, consistency and accountability.
• Talent Acquisition & Employee Lifecycle – Lead recruitment and onboarding activities across the organisation.
• Partner with managers to support workforce planning and hiring strategies.
• Enhance employer branding and candidate experience initiatives.
• Oversee key employee lifecycle activities, including probation reviews, promotions, salary changes, family leave and offboarding.
• Develop succession planning approaches to support future business needs.
• Implement employee feedback and retention initiatives to strengthen engagement.
• Learning, Development & Career Progression – Develop and deliver learning and development strategies aligned to business objectives.
• Create structured career pathways and progression frameworks.
• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted development programmes.
• Support leadership and management development initiatives.
• Coach managers to facilitate effective performance and development conversations.
• Build internal talent pipelines and support leadership succession planning.
• Performance, Engagement & Wellbeing – Lead the design and implementation of performance management frameworks.
• Drive employee engagement, wellbeing and recognition programmes.
• Create opportunities for employee feedback and continuous improvement.
• Support managers in managing performance effectively and consistently.
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative and high‑performing culture.
• Strategic People Leadership – Partner with senior leadership to develop and implement the people strategy.
• Support organisational design, workforce planning and business transformation initiatives.
• Ensure organisational values and culture remain embedded throughout continued growth.
• Use people insights and workforce data to shape strategic decisions.
• Lead the people aspects of change management and organisational development.

What You'll Need to Succeed

• You will be an experienced HR leader with a strong generalist background and experience operating within a growing, entrepreneurial or founder‑led environment.
• You will ideally demonstrate: Significant experience in a senior HR leadership role, such as Head of HR, Head of People, Senior HR Manager or Senior HR Business Partner.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations matters.
• Experience developing learning, development and career progression frameworks.
• A successful track record of improving employee engagement and performance management processes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders.
• Experience coaching managers and developing people leadership capability.
• A commercially minded yet people‑centric approach.
• Excellent communication, relationship‑building and organisational skills.
• The ability to balance structure and governance with agility and pace.

What You'll Get in Return

• The opportunity to lead and shape the people agenda within a growing and ambitious organisation.
• Direct partnership with senior leadership and significant influence over business strategy.
• The chance to develop and enhance organisational culture, employee engagement and capability.
• A broad and varied remit covering operational and strategic HR responsibilities.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Excellent opportunities for professional development and career progression.

Competitive salary and benefits package.